The South western news. (Dawson, GA.) 188?-1889, 1887-10-26
FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN.
BEAUTIFUL SCENERY SEEN
CROSSING THE CONTINENT.
Valley of Kicking Horse-Mount
stephen - Shooting Antelope
The First Glimpse of the Rock
les.

The ride from Donald, near the topmost
ridge of the SellkiIks, 20 Winnipeg gives the
traveller an immense variety of scenery and in
cident. Leaving Donald, and running for an
hour along the shores of the dwindling Column
bia, its waters white with clay, the train moves
easily over pleasant intervale between the
Selkirks and the ranges of the Rockies. We
soon catch sight of the vast system of the
Rockies in a chain of snow-clad peaks-large
in themselves, but small when compared with
the gigantic forms of the SelkirBs which we
have just left--set against the southeastern
sky like the teeth of huge saw. Looking
backward from this point, we see, spread out
In full beauty and impressiveness, the superb
sierra through whose gorges and defiles we
have but lately passed with so much difficulty
its base covered with black masses of pines,
its sides SCARED and rent by avalanches, its
summits cleaning with innumerable glaciers,
now flushed in rosy tints under the rays of the
descending sun, We are in the midst of the
grandeur and desolation of Natures closest
sanctuary; there is an awfulness in this environ
ment of mountains, this untainted atmosphere
of the heights, that makes words forgotten and
compels lis TO look upon the wonderful scene
in silence. There is not in all the Alps, or in
the barren gorges of the Pyrennees, white with
winter, scene more beautiful and imposing
perhaps none equally so-thaD this Of the
Seihirks from the first western slopes of the
Rocky Mountains. A turn in the road, which
brings us at once into new series of canons
and rayines, shuts out the sight of the Sell
kinks, and we plunge into the heart of the
greatest chain Of the continent the Rocky
Mountains, to which even the Selkirks,
superb as they are, are but secondary. Down
the canon into whose twilight (here perpetual
from deep rayine and darkened growth of
pine and CEDAR we have been so suddenly
Whirled, rolls swift and narrow stream,
across which we repeatedly cross and re-cross
IN the next few miles, the track cinging above
1t to shelf cut out of the cliff, thickly set
with tunnels, trestles and sharp curves in be-
widcring succession. For ages the stream
has cut its way down through the layers of
rock until it has attained such a depth that
the perpendicular cliffs above it almost hide
it from the sunlight Above the line can be
seen the old road, passable only by pack
horses and mules (and to them dangerous,
over which all materials and supplies had to
be brought before the railway could be built.
The stream is the famous Kicking Horse
River, for its extent the most difficult obstacle
the railroad encountered in all its distance
from sea to sea. The stream RACES nightly
as it forces its way through the scant ravine,
into which, to vex it further, the mountains
have cast great boulders which break it into
masses of foam and cause it at times to
throw up huge sheets of spray into the air.
The grade here, however, is not immoderate-
when we have passed Field, where supper is
to be taken. we shall find a different state of
affairs.
From the station of Field to that of Hector,
only eight miles above, the run takes an hour
and quarter, for, short as the distance is, the
difference in altitude of the two places is 114O
feet, making an average grade of about 143
feet to the mile. To overcome so abrupt a
slope two engines are attached to the train at
Field, one in front to pull, the other, a mon
Eter of about 100 tons and equipped with eight
driving wheels, behind, to push the weight, as
1t we're, with its huge shoulders. For the first
few rods above Field the road runs over flat
country, when the train abruptly plunges into
ravine even more rocky, stern and awe-inspir-
ing than any we have before seen. The grade
here began to rise with great abruptness, and
hint was given of the difficulty and danger
OF the place by SEEING here and there, man
standing by a switch leading to a stretch of
track which had been built on level ground on
the inward side of the line. The duty of these
switchmen, we discovered was to watch as
cending or descending trains, and if one
should break loose from the control of the To-
comotives, to turn the switch at once and
send the train upon the safety-level This
furnished us another instance of the care
which is everywhere taken for the security of
the line; in fact, eternal vigilance is
necessity on road which, like this, meets
at almost every mile some new danger.
switches We come again upon the Kicking
Horse River, and into d region of surprising
grandeur. Five hundred feet below, raging
aud Tuning through immense banks of solid
rock, the swollen stream plunges down the
sleeps in succession of beautiful waterfalls,
and sheer above the track, rising terrace upon
terrace to height of 5000 feet, stand the fan
tastic shapes of the loftiest of the Canadian
Rocky Mountains. Upon their tops and sides
ere glaciers Of ice and snow 200 feet in thick
ness, and rising above their desolate wastes
are turrets, plnnacles and towers, like the out
look posts of the Titans. We sweep directly
under the measureless mass of Cathedral
Mountain, standing in lone and melancholy
grandeur abc,e all its fellows, its irregular
form suggesting at once the massive Dom of
Cologne, the fairy pinnacled Duomo of Milan,
and the golden crowned Church of st. Isaac's
at st. Petersburg -aptly named if ever noun
tain was. Near by stood an irregular mass
very like in shape to Mont st. Michael, but
strangely topped by perfect pyramid: and
close 70 this appeared the counterpart of St
Basirs bulbous-spired church at Moscow, with
many other mountains which were like moth
ing else than themselves. Every glacier pours
forth its food, every gulch and ravine is filled
with roaring brooks and rivers, the whole coun-
try echoes with the sound of many waters. and
through the impenetrabie forests the wind
slghs mournfully The scene with Mt. Ste
phen S240 feet above the track. the loftiest
peak on the line, is indescribab grand. AL
though it was ten o'clock in the evening be-
lore we surmounted the divide, the sun still
touched to topmostpea and shed a mild re-
nectlon into the valley below, a radiance to
which the fires of the laboring locomotives
ADDED, as the open doors of their furnaces
threw glare OF lurid light into the gloomy
alsles if the woodland. On the front of the
Tearmost locomotive Chinaman had perched
himself at Field, and had accompanied us mn
the divide. Ae had looked up at the impend-
mig crags, and down at the roaring river. with
some show of apprehension. Finally coming
under an imposing pile of rock, the train stop
ped. The Chinaman regarded the mountain.
and drew long breath 81 call that plentv
good, he said, indicating, by sweep of his
arm, the majestic region that we had passed.
Emerson, who delighted in terseness and SIM
pl!lcity of speech, would have been pleased
with the remark
The fall of night prevented us from seeing
more OF the magnificent scenery of the Rock
les, which is, in fact, chiefly repetition of
what have already attempted to describe. l
DO not know that we were displeased at having
chance to rest our eyes and minds, nor were
we reluctant TO think upon what we had seen
rather than to see more. The fact is that the
stupenduous scenery of the Western Division
or the Canadian Pacific is as hard TO SEQ as il
is to describe. Its effect upon the mind is to
stupety, SO vast are its dimensions, so great its
individual features. Months could well be
spent in seeing what we passed over in three
days; indeed, l would advise everyone who
wishes to study to full advantage the wonder,
fui country (more grandly picturesque than
any other on tine continent) that is now opened
ny this line, and upon which but few ewes have
as yet rested, to stop at various points and
learn the region gradually. The facilities for
doing so are excellent. The company has al
ready erected fine, commodious hotels at MANY
places IN the mountains-at the Glacier House.
Iield, Banff, etc. and is preparing to build
Others, so that soon the tourist can be as well
lodged and fed and equipped for expeditions
as If he were in Incerne or Channnnniy the